Go ahead, drink coffee as if your life depended on it. Because that might actually be true.

You know how coffee wakes you up from the dead every morning? Transforms you from bleary-eyed zombie into a living, breathing human being? Turns out the health benefits of coffee are real. A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that caffeine doesn't just perk you up and make you more lively—it can actually help you live longer by counteracting the inflammation associated with aging.

An extensive multi-year study found that regular intake of caffeine (and a number of related compounds found in tea and dark chocolate) can help block the chronic inflammation that's linked to over 90% of all noncommunicable diseases of aging, said lead study author David Furman, Ph.D., a consulting associate professor at the Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection. Study participants who consumed less caffeine were more likely to die younger, and research showed that people who consumed more caffeine showed lower activation of "inflammatory gene clusters" that are associated with high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.

So if you're feeling the January detox spirit and thinking of finally quitting caffeine, think again. With all the health benefits of coffee, you might just want to double down on your love affair with that cup of joe. Why just stick to drinking coffee when you can eat it too? Go beyond your morning cup and add it to your breakfast. Obsessed with cold-brew concentrate? Use it in your cooking.

And if you're committing to the coffee lifestyle, you might as well be making the best possible cup. If you're into French press, go for it. More of a Chemex person? Time to stock up on filters.

And remember—tea, whether black, green, or white, also contains those beneficial caffeine compounds. So if you've been chugging your caffeine-free turmeric tea or golden milk for the anti-inflammatory benefits, you might want to bring regular tea back into circulation as well.

Finally, let's not forget to eat chocolate. Because the caffeine-related theobromide compounds in the dark stuff will also help fight inflammation. We swear. That's the only reason.

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